Hardened Love
by ZeroIXResoleon
Summary: Rachel finally decides that it's time to confront these feelings she kept hidden for a long time. One Shot Fanfiction. Happy Birthday,...dear partner.


Hello everybody, Resoleon here finally posting something. Sorry there hasn't been a post in so long. I've mainly been addicted to Starcraft lately. I can't stop playing the damn game and also I've been having some real life shenanigans going on as well so there wasn't time for me to write lately. Also, I've been quite lazy, too. Ain't that always great?

This fic is dedicated to my partner LilyAceThompson17. Happy birthday with love.

Please enjoy.

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**Ragna X Rachel Story: Hardened Love**

Rachel had no idea what to make of this. She watched Ragna grow from the time she first met him to the way he is now. Rachel would die before admitting it...but she felt strong feelings to Ragna. She was baffled by these feelings for him. She's a vampire and centuries older than him yet she feels for him.

_"I can't endure them any longer..." _She thought.

Rachel denied it for a long time but just now she's finally coming to terms to the fact that she fell for the very same person who she saved a long time ago. Rachel just thought of him as a colloquial punkish gruff man with no integrity and formality whatsoever. Yet, something about his man really intrigued her. She warned him numerous times that Ragna cannot best any odds that have been stacked against him. Yet...the odds didn't seem to phase him at all. He always find some way to defy the odds and ravaged his way to victory, most notably against Terumi recently.

Rachel stood at a grassy cliff, staring out at the ocean that extends into the horizon of the setting sun. Her face was slightly blushing. Perhaps she was thinking about the man who she fell in love with, much to her dismay. "Ragna..." She only muttered out loud.

She has lived for centuries yet she had no idea what to do with these newfound feelings. Rachel knows herself to not be so easily swayed either. She was going to somehow let Ragna know that she loved him. Although Rachel would risk having her heart broken in the process, at least these feelings would dissipate after hearing the words of rejection. She didn't even fathom to think that Ragna would love her also because she teased him endlessly with derogatory and sophisticated language. There was no way that Ragna would fall for someone so cold with insatiable standards as she did. But she planned to do it anyway so that she wouldn't be left in suspense. She teleported away from the cliff she's standing on.

In a forest whose path was en route to Ikaruga, Ragna laid on the ground, with his body fanned out as he slumbered. He felt a foot nudging his shoulder. He opened his eyes slowly to see a vampire he knew all too well standing above him.

"On your feet..." She muttered.

Ragna slowly stood without thinking. "Rachel..."

The two exchanged contemporary glances for quite a while. These two have always shared an intriguing relationship. They showed moments that would make it seem like they hated each other and there would be times when it would seem like they loved each other. But alas, that has yet to be seen.

Ragna spat on the ground to his right before talking. "What do you want, Rachel? Have you found out more about Terumi?"

"No..." Rachel only said.

"Is it more about Ikaruga?"

"No..."

"Then why did you come here, rabbit?" Ragna asked with irritation.

As soon as the pet name "rabbit" flew through Rachel's ears, her face slightly flushed. Secretly, she liked being called that by Ragna. Ragna was quick to notice this. He was surprised that Rachel was even capable of having such a face. "Whoa...Rachel, what's up with you?"

Rachel breathed deep and then looked straight into Ragna's eyes. "This isn't about Terumi. This isn't about anything that has been transpired or what has yet to come. This is about you and me, Ragna."

That last sentence echoed through Ragna's head. He half knew what Rachel meant by that but he still wasn't sure. This really wasn't like the Rachel he knew all his life. He wanted to know what is making Rachel think like this. "Rachel...what are you talking about?"

The vampire walks up to the silver haired man. She reaches up with left hand and cupped Ragna's right cheek. Rachel vaguely remembers doing this once before. The way his face felt, it felt so soothing to touch in spite of its roughness. Rachel felt her heart racing. "I will not repeat myself, Ragna. You heard me right."

This wasn't the Rachel Ragna knew. He knew something was wrong about her as this was uncharacteristic of her. He softly touched Rachel's hand that was caressing his face. "Rachel, tell me what's wrong. This isn't like you at all."

Rachel swallowed her saliva deeply, then looked at Ragna's feet. She was about to make the biggest move in her long life. "Ragna, hear me out. I dislike my vampire instincts. Yet...you were my first and you are my only victim thus far. I did it to keep you from dying, though."

Ragna lowers Rachel's hand from his face. "I...barely remember it, but all I remember was that my arm was cut off, and I fell unconscious again. After that, I was never the same again. You saved my life, Rachel?"

Rachel nodded. "I did."

Ragna knew he always had an intriguing relationship with Rachel. But for once, he found himself having a conversation with Rachel with no trash talking involved and it's about a rather sensitive matter. At the same time, he liked it, but he also didn't know what to make of it. "Rachel, this isn't like you. You usually talk shit to me and you always drive me crazy with your cryptic talk. Can you just tell me straightforward what it is you're getting at?"

"If you insist." Rachel said with a grimace. She took a long time before giving her reply. "Ragna, this isn't easy for me to say, but with your actions and your attitude toward the impossible, you have earned my respect...and you have also earned my trust."

"Now you start rolling along with the compliments." Ragna said with an unimpressed look. "I gotta admit, that's what I've wanted to hear from you for a long time, rabbit."

"There is another thing you have earned from me, Ragna." Rachel slowly started. "That...is my heart."

In that moment, Ragna's brain started to flare. He was just told that he has earned Rachel's heart. "Rachel...what the hell is this?" His face started to become flustered with a shade of red.

Out of nowhere, tears started to stream down Rachel's face. "I haven't felt anything like this since my father died centuries ago. Ragna, you are the only person who I felt as though I have a sentimentally trivial connection to. You are the only person who has ever fell victim to my cravings. I have watched you grown into the man you are now. And now, I find my heart's strings pulling at the sight of you. I have fallen for you, Ragna..." She felt herself feeling emotions that were locked in surfacing after so long. She became who she once was before taking on her duties as the Observer. Rachel became a rather frail, emotional girl that's crying out to help and have someone to love her in this instance. She hugs herself out of total embarrassment of stooping so low from her aristocratic standards.

Ragna was stunned. He couldn't believe what he was seeing in front of him. It was as though he was looking at a different person altogether but it was still Rachel regardless. Ragna slightly gritted his teeth seeing Rachel cry like this. He always knew her to be a cold and efficient vampire girl. He slowly walks over to the petite vampire, knelt to the ground in front of her to get down to her level, then wrapped his arms around her in a warm embrace.

Rachel gasped at Ragna's act. She thought he would be disgusted by her becoming such a sap which is a huge step down from what she usually is. Rachel felt the warmth of Ragna enveloping her. She didn't want to be let go by him. Not now. "Don't...let go, Ragna..."

Ragna softly rubs the vampire's back. "It's okay. I gotcha." Ragna rubbed Rachel's back a few times more as he held her in his arms before speaking his thoughts. "You know, Rachel. This is really surprising me. I...I never thought you were capable of feeling something like this to be completely honest. To tell you the truth, I felt something toward you too."

Rachel looks up at Ragna's face like a curious child. "Really?"

Ragna nodded. "You never panic, you're very powerful by yourself and you're intelligent. Sometimes I wish I had those kinds of attributes. And also, you're not bad to look at Rachel. I think that dress you wear makes you look like you're in rare form."

Rachel snuggled herself against the man she loved. "C-can you...forgive a prideful vampire like myself, Ragna? Will you...accept what I feel for you, after all I've done to you and for you?"

Ragna gave a smirk at Rachel. "How can I not? I just wish you'd show this side of you more often, Rachel. I have to say, you look more beautiful this way."

Rachel continued to snivel. Ragna softly wipes the tears out of Rachel's eyes and then holds her close. "That's enough of that, Rachel." Ragna said. "Get it together. I'll tell you what. We can talk more in the morning. I have to head to Ikrauga though. There's something important that I have to do there."

And then, at that moment, their faces were close and parallel to each other. Both their eyes widened slightly while their gazes were fixed upon each other. Rachel places her right hand on Ragna's chest then pulled her small body against him and then leaned her face upward at Ragna, softly brushing her lips against his. Ragna closed his eyes and allowed himself to taste the love of Rachel Alucard, a girl who saved his life, now his significant other. Rachel slowly pulled her lips away from Ragna's then wiped her mouth before talking again. "I only wish I can go with you, Ragna. But I have duties to perform. No matter what the future may hold, Ragna, please never give up."

Ragna scoffed with another smirk on his face. "You don't have to tell me twice, rabbit. And hey, take care of yourself, will you?"

Rachel frowned at Ragna. "Ha...just don't lose another arm. That's two you've lose so far. If you keep that up, you might as well be a walking dead man. Oh wait, you already are, never mind."

Ragna admitted himself that it felt good seeing Rachel insult him again like old times. "Yeah but I'm still human and that's all that matters. Rachel, I'll still need you to help if I need it."

"I will be there, Ragna. No matter where you are, I will be at your side when you need me. I promise." Rachel softly kisses Ragna's lips once more before parting them. Rachel gave a light smile at Ragna before teleporting away.

Ragna looked up at the night sky, which featured a full moon and muttered to himself. "Terumi is going down, but I will not face him alone..."

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Hope you enjoyed that. I felt as though I didn't do a good job at it but meh...

As always, thanks for reading!

**Hardened Love: End **


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